Annual Department Orientation

MN DHS NetStudy 2.0 Background Studies 

• BLS / ACLS training (link)

  • Find out as soon as possible if the trainees will need certification after their start date

  • Idea: Create a program checklist in RMS and include a step to upload photo of current certification

  • American Heart Association offers online training as well

  • Gear Up CPR in Uptown offers training at reasonable rates

The contact at M Health Fairview for ACLS/BLS training is Terry Nelson, TNELSON1@Fairview.org.  

• Annual Communication

  • Rotation Dates when learners will be at their sites

  • Provide the goals & objectives of the rotation

  • Confirm contact and site director for site

  • Provide a sample schedule of anticipated activities during rotations (these can sometimes be impacted by other requirements, but providing a sample schedule gives the site some idea of when learners will be with them.)

  • Request any orientation details learners need prior to start (site parking, access, Electronic Medical Record (EMR) training, etc.)

• Regular Communication

  • Date specific details when your learners will be at each site or when learners need to be released from clinical duties for other program reasons (ex: USMLE Step 3, simulation trainings)

  • Be open to site communication, challenges with learners, learners not reporting when scheduled, etc.

Review your specialty requirements to ensure that all requirements are addressed within the program curriculum. 

• GME Policy: Orientation

• All incoming residents and fellows, starting in both ACGME-accredited and non-accredited programs, are required to attend a GME orientation session. This requirement includes those trainees moving from one University of Minnesota program to another.

• Central GME orientation is held in mid-June and early July to accommodate the vast majority of our incoming residents and fellows who start on cycle with the start of the academic year.  Additional abbreviated sessions are held in mid-July and early August for those trainees who begin in their program after the main orientation dates.

As residents/fellows enter a new UMN GME residency or fellowship program, they are expected to:

• Complete all requirements issued through their central onboarding checklist in RMS (log into RMS using the username and password information you received via email from gme@umn.edu),

• Attend an in-person central GME orientation session (they will receive an email invitation with details about the scheduled session),

• Be fitted for a respirator (refer to the Occupational Health, Safety, & Immunization Requirements page for details about respirator fit testing and medical clearance), and

• Review all orientation resources shared in advance of the central orientation

• GME Orientation Extranet

  • The orientation extranet is shared with all residents and fellows starting a new UMN GME program by the GME office in advance of orientation. The site contains resources on topics such as safety training (Safety Always, donning & doffing PPE, fit testing & COVID-19), Clinical & Educational Work Hours, Residents as Teachers, Professional Development (implicit bias, pain management, diversity & inclusion), well-being (sleep deprivation, health & wellness) and recordings to previous sessions. 

• Video

• Consider having a follow up session, possibly including practice

Make sure your residents know how to log their hours (contact MMCGME for training if needed). If your program is on rotation protocol, trainees still need to know how to log moonlighting hours if applicable or if your program requires hours to be logged in New Innovations for tracking purposes.

• Fairview login, caregiver numbers and badge access templating is typically taken care of by Hospital Administration (Mira Jurich & Jennifer Janecek)

• Programs with Continuity Clinic Requirements

  • Critical Onboarding:

    • Need to get caregiver numbers early to set up scheduling system in EPIC

    • Fairview IT Hub, 612-672-6805

• Programs without Continuity Clinic Requirements

• Other times during the year

  • Outside rotators

• Fairview Share pointe – GME coordinator site

Some sites provide a meal card to learners with a set dollar amount for the trainee to use in the cafeteria.  Availability of meal cards and processes for distributing the meal cards vary by site.  Contact the site coordinator for the most current process. 

Fairview will email coordinators at the beginning of each academic year.   The amount of money the trainee receives depends on the number of months they are on call.   The money is to be used for call shifts.   If the number of call months change during the year you can contact Jennifer Janacek, jjanace1@fairview.org to add funds.    If a resident needs a new meal card then let Jennifer know if you want the meal card picked up at bridges or west bank cafeteria.  

Fairview Meal Card Policy 

The curriculum must contain...competency-based goals and objectives for each educational experience designed to promote progress on a trajectory to autonomous practice. These must be distributed, reviewed, and available to residents and faculty members; (CPR IV.A.2.) 

You can require trainees to electronically acknowledge that they have received and reviewed the goals and objectives at the start of each rotation. This can be automated through New Innovations.  Curriculum module information in New Innovations (link)

I-9 verification must take place within three business days of the trainee’s start date.  Contact your HR department to determine if you or they will communicate with the trainee(s) about scheduling in-person or remote verification. 

• Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) (Required for ACGME programs)

  • Requirement:
    V.A.1.d).(2) assist residents in developing individualized learning plans to capitalize on their strengths and identify areas for growth; and, (Core)

  • There is no required structure to the plan, only that one needs to exist.

  • It also indicates that the program needs to help the resident develop this, rather than the program develop it for the resident

  • Program example:
    During orientation, a competency based assessment is completed on each incoming resident.  Assessment includes cases targeting competencies/sub-competencies, EBM Assessment, Mock ITE exam, direct observation by those leading orientation sessions.

    • A summary of the assessment (SAMPLE) is shared with the resident, requesting their input of their strengths and areas for improvement.  A copy is provided to the resident and their advisor to further develop the learning plan and update the plan as the resident progresses in residency.

• Each year, the GME office hosts an orientation event exclusively for International Medical Graduates, to welcome them to the Twin Cities and help ease their transition to the US medical system.  Information regarding the session is sent directly from the GME office to the IMG trainees.

• Residents often request this information when working on fellowship credentialing or graduates request when starting job credentialing

• Verification of Coverage

• Medical Malpractice Credentialing

This is great information to post to your program google site/intranet.

Work with your Program Director to determine the best approach for your program.  You may want to use one or more of the following suggestions:

• Peer mentors (first year trainees assigned to a senior trainee)

• Coaching - usually short term, competency-focused

• Mentor - usually longer term, development-focused

  • Typically assigned for the first year, but may change as the trainee identifies their interests and professional goals

  • Idea: incorporate completion of ILP, if applicable

  • Questions for coordinator: who will serve as faculty mentors, what are the expectations for the mentor/mentee relationship (frequency of meetings, documentation, etc), who is in charge of pairing mentors & mentees, how do expectations change past the first year of training, how will issues be resolved (for example, bad pairing, unresponsive trainee or mentor, etc)?

• Required moonlighting form (link).  This is an annual review and approval.  Completed moonlighting form is uploaded for each fellow and each site.

• PGY 1 and Visa sponsored fellows are not eligible

• Programs may add further restrictions - such as how many hours per year trainees can work.

• Program coordinator monitors RMS for duty hours logged at sites fellows work.

• Do not fill out Training Verification requests until moonlight request form is submitted to the program and approved by the program director.

Ensure your residents know the process for reporting a needlestick, regardless of what site they are at. It is good practice to have this link posted somewhere it is easily accessible, whether on your program google site/intranet, manual, the New Innovations homepage, etc.

https://med.umn.edu/residents-fellows/current-residents-fellows/health-wellness/needle-sticks-blood-borne-pathogen-exposure-management

• Pager distribution and return of acknowledgement forms (if applicable)

  • Now thru Fairview GME Coordinator office and you can email Jennifer Janacek, jjanace1@fairview.org.   

  • If you need a pager exchanged/repaired, need page copy or are having paging issues please contact Fairview TSC at 612-672-6805.

If you need a pager exchange/repair, or page copy, OR are having paging issues please contact the Fairview TSC at 612-672-6805 and a TSC agent will assist you.

If you need a new pager issued - new number- please go to Fairview Intranet IT HUB/SERVICE NOW Pager Order form and submit a ticket request.

U of M Departments with pager requests forms - to submit form or for questions/issues please email 

DEPT-CORP-PAGER-REQUESTS

If you need Amcom access to Smart Web On Call schedules or issues with Smartweb On Call schedules  please send your request , issue or questions to the following email:

DEPT-CORP-AMCOM-SMARTWEB-REQUESTS

TO RETURN PAGERS (BROKEN/ NO LONGER NEEDED):

Interoffice to

Switchboards

Midway Corp Campus

1700 University Ave West

St Paul, MN 55104

• • Other times during the year

    • Outside rotators

  • Items to be ordered/distributed: White coats, keys, text books, pagers, loupes, trigger cards (varies by program)

    • White Coats - best to order through the bookstore. The bookstore can arrange embroidery on coats medbooks@umn.edu 

    • Trigger Cards - these cards are provided by the department and identify scenarios in which a trainee must consult their supervising attending before taking further action

      1. Review department cards and order through UMPhysicians Risk Insurance (Contact as of 2021: Gil Anthony ganthony10@umphysicians.umn.edu)

    • Textbooks 

      1. Does the department provide any books, and with what funds?

    • Loupes - Departments often use a preferred vendor for ordering loupes, departments may pay for resident loupes as part of their onboarding process

Most departments provide free parking to their trainees at all training sites. At the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, this requires either issuing a departmental parking card for a designated lot or ramp to each trainee for the year, providing a shared departmental parking card only to those rotating at the University site, validating individual parking tickets, or issuing digital vouchers. As of 3/23/21 vouchers are not yet available. In 2021 the Twin Cities Campus transitioned to a new parking vendor, J4M. Information on how to use the new system can be found here.

Parking information for other rotation sites should be included in your manual or program google site/intranet.

Fairview will set up parking for the residents and fellows at the beginning of each academic year as a part of the onboarding process.   Trainees no longer need to go to the parking office in person to set this up.   It varies by program on what parking access your trainees have.   If you have questions about parking at Fairview contact Jennifer Janacek, jjanace1@fairview.org.   

• PECOS enrollment / prescription monitoring enrollment (PMP)

• Fairview PECOS Enrollment Tip Sheet

• Look at the program’s website, what information is located there

  • How are current residents/fellows listed?

  • Consider getting professional photos taken of learners.

  • Consider putting together a questionnaire for learners to complete that shares information about them that would be beneficial to potential applicants in the future. Consider including:

    • Medical School

    • What attracted them to the program

    • Maybe care philosophy

  • If your department uses social media, have trainees sign a release form with the option to opt out if they do not want to be featured.

Provide instructions for logging procedures / inpatient consults, if applicable.

• • ACGME Case Logger

  • RMS Logger (MMCGME can provide training/assistance setting these up)

Make sure your manual is updated and a new link provided to GME before your academic year start date. It is good practice to make this part of orientation mandatory for all trainees, not just incoming.

• • GME Program Manual Update Checklist Guide

  • Idea: ask trainees to read manual in advance, then host an in person or virtual interactive quiz on the manual (kahoot or jeopardy-style)

  • Idea: Assign each trainee a question they have to research and give a 60 second presentation to everyone else (for ex. What is the dress code, where do you get scrubs and can they be worn in clinic, etc.) Questions for residents to research and present.

• First determine what the current structure is for your program for hospital services, clinic and didactics

• Based on review of the specialty requirements, ensure that program schedules support learners ability to meet specialty requirements.

• Next determine what systems are currently used for schedules and are they meeting the program needs. 

  • Create a new academic year 

  • Block schedules (Foundation of the schedule for most programs)

    • Block schedules are typically  scheduled over a period of time and focus specifically on an area of medicine.

      • Block length varies from program to program.  Common block lengths include: actual months (12 Block Year), 4-week blocks (13 Block Year), 2-week blocks (25 Block Year), 1-week blocks (52 Block Year) or another length determined by the program.

  • Call Schedules are typically used to determine who is covering hospital services.

    • Requirements for coverage vary by program

    • Some require coverage from both Faculty Attendings and Residents/Fellows 24/7/365, others utilize moonlighters for some of their coverage.

    • The purpose of call schedules is to ensure the hospital staff know who to contact regarding hospitalized patients or admissions to the service.

  • Clinic Schedules may or may not be managed by the program.  

    • Specialties with continuity clinic requirements for learners will often have a more hands on role in the development of the clinic schedules.  

      • Learners typically have their own panel of patients and clinic shifts are scheduled under their names.

    • Specialties that do not have continuity clinic requirements will often have only faculty scheduled in clinic.  

      • Learners will see patients under the faculty’s schedule.

  • Rotation Activity Schedules may be shown as a part of the clinic schedule, or separately in a sample schedule based on that rotation curriculum.

  • Didactic Schedules will vary by specialty in length and duration.

    • Some programs will have daily or specific days with lectures over the noon hour.

    • Other programs will have an Education Block, typically a half day containing a variety of lectures and educational activities.

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Association of American Medical Colleges, ACGME, and Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates | Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research created a toolkit to help learners transition from medical school to residency during the COVID-19 pandemic. The toolkit is designed to aid both programs preparing for incoming residents, as well as students entering residency after a challenging and potentially disrupted final year of medical school.

Access the toolkit from the Transition to Residency web page on the ACGME website.

Email questions and comments to umegmetoolkit@acgme.org. 

• Time away process must be outlined in program manual

• Time away for all trainees is often overseen by the program coordinator

• Specific processes will vary by department and/or program

• Any time away that may extend training needs to be communicated with GME immediately